Where Heart Meets Soul
by Deltra 307
Summary: You'd think being kidnapped by a giant monster would be the worst thing to happen that day. But when you find out your survival falls into the hands of two idiots who can't get along, you'd better thing twice... AU


_Give it to me straight - am I a bad person? Thievery, attempted murder, and an undying lust for vengeance... the memories of my own family have been erased from my mind, slipping through my fingers as easily as water through a strainer. My parents? I know my father. No, not my father. I'd hardly call him my father... More like the man who loved my mother... and not me. I can't even form a general idea of what my mother's face looks like and my siblings... Do I really have any? I can't exactly be sure. You wouldn't understand - you've always had the comfort of a loving family. And maybe I had that. Once. But not anymore. The closest people to being my family are those two lunatics, my 'older sister', and that man, who, I coincidentally, tried to kill when we first meant. But hadn't he just been using me all along?_

Jubilant cheers echoed across the city, their cries seemingly stretching as far as the vast fields beyond it's outskirts. It was a time for celebration in the city sprawled out around the beautiful castle that marked the center of the overflowing town. Children, both human and creature alike, threw their arms in the air and scrambled to see who could collect the most of the precious gems raining from the heavens above. Adults stared on with warm eyes, though they could have easily have been just as excited for the events that were scheduled to occur later in the night.

Somewhere out in those fields, however, the most important individuals were enjoying themselves with one of the most simple things. Most simple, at least, in comparison to the rest of the festival's activities occurring within the confines of the city beyond. A picnic. It was as simple as that - an outdoors meals, placed on a hill a few miles away from the bustling, populated area. It had, hands down, the best view of that place. Countless couples had came there simply for the view. Seeing a trio on that designated spot was a bit uncommon, that was certain.

A tall woman, draped in a beautiful pink gown, sat at the far right corner of the red and white checkered blanket the three sat upon. Her long, blonde hair refused to stay out of her face, the wind blowing it in such an angle that sent her blue eyed gaze into a tidal wave of yellow. However many times she tried to tuck it behind her pale colored ear, it always returned to flapping in her picture perfect face. A small groan escaped her lips, filled with annoyance and the slightest bit of anger. Her eyes flickered between the two, similarly dressed boys a few feet away from where she sat neatly. Neither picked up the hint, however, and yawned lazily. The shorter of the two, dressed in a deep red undershirt and a pair of blue overalls reached for two more slices of bread and the various things he planned to slather on his soon to be made sandwich. Neither his, nor his brother, dressed in green, met the older's gaze. The princess let out a sigh. Any time she ever tried to imply anything to her rescuers, they never caught on. That, or they both understood at the same time and argued nonstop with one another to see which one she deserved.

_I never... hated him... I don't think I could ever really... hate him... When we first encountered one another, he was more confusing, entertaining, and annoying then anything. And, as much as I tried to convince myself that my heart sank ten floors whenever he showed up, I think that, somewhere deep down, I perked up when I saw him coming near. I couldn't exactly call us friends, though. He probably hated me just as much as I wanted to hate him. But it was... what you would call 'fun', while it lasted. But nothing good ever really stays..._

Princess Peach rose from where she had been sitting just seconds before, brushing off the nonexistent dirt she imagined have latched onto her bright pink dress. There was no point. No point at all of getting anything useful through the two bonehead's thick skulls. Their greatest enemy, the Koopa King, had been surprisingly dormant, and the two greatest heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom had grown to accustomed to a life of ease. She worried about both Mario and Luigi. It seemed as though all they did anymore was eat, sleep, and argue over which one she loved more out of the two.

If this kept going on, if there'd been any longing for a romantic relationship with either of the two, it's be gone in a week tops.  
>She muttered a quick good-bye, explaining that she had duties to attend to with the Star Festival coming under way. Though the famed star bits that announced the festival's arrival had been falling from the sky like rain since early that morning, the actual festival was to start later in the afternoon, where festivities were sure to delight even the most stiff and cold of citizens of the city. As princess, and ruler of the kingdom, it was the blonde's duty to make sure things were running on schedule and nothing was amiss. She had never been able to actually supervise the much anticipated event - people usually only got the chance to experience it once in their lifetime - as said festival only rolled around once in every one hundred years.<p>

As the beauty, however, raced down the hillside, lifting up the skirt of her dress as she went with much professionalism, she looked over her shoulder with a look of utter doubt. With both parents dead, she was the only living member of the royal family at the time. There was no one else to take the place as queen but her. If she passed away, the entire Mushroom Kingdom would fall into utter chaos and it would likely die away with her. The only solution was to find a person of the opposite gender to marry and continue the line of royalty with. As attracted as she had been to the mustached man when he'd first rescued her from the clutches of the evil Bowser, there'd never been anytime between captures for a formal wedding - much less a confession of love - and, as the days passed by, that spark of a crush began to die away. Now all she felt was... annoyance?

As idle as her worst nightmare had been as of late, there was always a nagging worry that he'd sweep her away and her life would once again fall into the hands of her red clothed 'lover' and his just as obnoxious sibling. And, with their continuous and idiotic arguments, would their sibling rivalries get in the way of her very survival? There was nothing stopping the King of the Koopas to grow tired of her and toss her away like some toy... But she reassured herself that it was nothing but her over reacting. After all, they had not seen their large foe in months...

_I wanted to say no. To counter every last one of those reasons for going our separate ways with a reason of my own. But what else was there to gain? Any more journeys we would have had would have been dull and lifeless. We'd trained together, fought together... maybe even saved the entire fate of the world together. But then what? We died as 'best friends' who, as much as they despised the others, couldn't leave? I wanted to object. The looks on the others' faces were grim, and maybe they wanted to shout out against the idea them self. But I was the refined one. The one who would never let the others know that I had already begun to miss their company, even though they were right there. And with my silence came the worst conclusion I'd ever come to._

The others kept in touch, no doubt. But what of me? What of the boy who acted as though he wanted nothing to do with the others? Who, honestly, couldn't imagine a life without them by his side but was forced down that unimaginable path anyways...? Perhaps one would call. Once, maybe twice in the beginning. But that sense of utter betrayal must have prevent my hand from reaching and picking up. They must have given up, had they ever tried in the first place, seeing as I wouldn't have anymore to do with them. They were my allies... My friends... They were my family... But, most of all, they were the ones who left me behind to wonder what I'd done to make them leave me in the first place.

Hours passed by so fast, one would swear they'd only been minutes. Things went right on schedule for those working on the festival projects; if not faster then planned. The festival itself, soon to come, seemed bright - that was for certain. A wave and a quick dismissal let the exhausted, blue-eyed woman know that her work had been completed and she could return to doing whatever she so chose. It'd been tiring, if anything, to make sure everyone was in line and helping do the work herself. Her fingers still throbbed from making contact with that blasted hammer so many times, and she applied another ice pack on the already swollen and black injuries. A sigh of utter relief escaped her pink colored lips as the pain was covered by a wonderful, cooling sensation. Her eyes closed ever so slowly and, making her way over towards the large bed in her own room, sank into the bed sheets lazily. The horizon was closing in the bright sun, signaling the approach of the much anticipated Star Festival. But she had a few hours to spare, didn't she? A nap was what would do her good. Muttering a quiet 'good night' to no one in particular, as there was no one there to say it to, she silently drifted off into slumber.

_But I should stop reminiscing - I wanted to know what you though of my for my family, right? I'm getting ahead of myself. Siblings...? No. Nothing. Not a face, not a voice... Nothing to signify that I even had any. That doesn't mean that I didn't... I could have been part of the largest family in the region. And maybe I was. But there is nothing... Nothing to hold onto to prove they ever really existed._

The beauty woke up in a similar fashion to that of how she fell into slumber - slipping silently awake. Using the palms of her pale colored hands to hold her weight, she lifted her heavy body off the silky covers of her bed and set her feet on the floor. By the looks of the light streaming in from the small window in her room, night had already fallen on the Mushroom Kingdom. The festival had already begun. But that wasn't right. She was needed at the opening ceremony - why had they failed to awake and retrieve her? For a moment, she thought they left her be in sleeping bliss and decided to let her have a rest. But would they really do that...?

Picking herself up and off the bed, she trudged over to that small window that barely illuminated the large and dark room she'd fallen asleep in hours ago. Through half opened, heavy eyes, she could see the fireworks she'd help set up lighting up the nighttime sky with radiant lights. Shouts of joy reached her from the city below. Yes, things were going just as planned. Except, of course, for them forgeting to rouse her. A small smile tugged on her lips and, as the sleepiness began to slowly fade, she became more aware of the world. More aware of the room around her. More away of the brilliant colors being flashed before her.  
>More away of the joyous shouts fading to screams of terror.<p>

_My father was a monster, to put it simply. I'd searched for years in order to find out who he was, and, when I did, I wish that I'd never pursued that area of knowledge. I hated him. I still do. Because had it not been for him... Maybe I wouldn't have looked at the world around me the way I do today. He's ruined everything I could have hoped for. And the others know this, too. Because, whenever it comes to an argument, his name is always brought up. It's like digging salt in a wound that with never go away. And if I could go back and change one thing, I know for certain what it would be._

Make sure that that...

monster_ was never born..._

Without a second thought, the blonde dashed out of her room and flew down the hallway, tripping on her too-long dress as she stumbled to reach the outside world. This was why they hadn't woken her up. The festival hadn't really begun. Something - or someone - had interrupted everything. And, whatever was going on outside couldn't be good. She begged silently to the red and green clothed plumber to aid the citizens of the town, even though there was no chance that they'd be able to actually hear her pleas. They were the only defense against evil in the huge city and, even though they weren't exactly hero material, they managed to get the job done. But when she managed to finally escape the confines of the castle - her castle - her worst nightmares awaited her.

A black haired, tall man dressed in green and blue was clutched tightly in the hand of something bigger then himself. Something much bigger... The blue-eyed princess's hands clasped over her mouth as her eyes widened in terror. She had seen the Koopa King before, and he'd never been a pleasant sight to the eyes. But the monster before her... Words along the lines of 'they can't possibly win' escaped her still covered mouth, muffled by her gloved hands. Bowser was at least the height of the castle beside him, if not bigger. Blood red eyes caught her own ocean blue ones and a wicked grin curled upon his face.

The beast dropped Luigi's lifeless body to the ground, raising from where he 'sat' and making his way over to her. Had the man not been crushed to death, the impact of the fall was certain to be the death of him. Tears were beginning to drip down her face and she did that last maneuver that could very well stop her from meeting the same fate. She made a blind run back towards the entrance of the castle, where she would, hopefully be safe; if only for a short while, when Mario could come and rescue her. But it was futile, trying to outrun a sixty foot beast. And, as a giant, mustard yellow colored hand blocked the one entrance to safety, the smile on his face widened even more.

But that hand never reached over to grasp her.

And for a moment, the princess wondered why. Had that not been the reason for his arrival? To capture her and take her to his far off fortress where he would try to make him marry her...? He stood still for a few moments, almost as though all the muscles within the confines of his flesh had been frozen in place. The smile that twisted his face faded into a look of hatred and anger and, as she began to come fully aware of her surroundings, her expression did just the opposite. A smile of utter relief and thankfulness lit up her face as she realized that it was none other then Mario in front of her, there to protect her from harms way. But, even without looking into his eyes, as they were directed at the Koopa King and not herself, she realized something was not right. A sense of unease wafted off of the overall-ed man. And she knew what this meant. He was thinking the exact same thing as she was.

They couldn't win.

She stared in horror as the giant monster rambled on about having no use for she, her rescuer, or anyone in the entire Mushroom Kingdom. In fact, he went on to say that he wanted nothing to do with the rest of the populated world, sparking confusion in the faces of the two. As that devious grin stretched across his face once more, he questioned whether either of the two bellow him had any clue what this meant. Both remained silent, gaping as they tried to gather all he'd just told them and put together the pieces of the puzzle. And, only a second before the man clothed in red before her did, she realized what he was going to do.

Her helpless protests fell on deaf ears. He had no need for this world. He'd sat idle for months on end coming to this one conclusion. And if he'd come here, to a place that meant nothing to him, there was only one possible thing that he could have been there to do. And he must have known that she'd realized what he planned to do, as that smile only widened. She buried her face in her hands. She wanted to run away, to get away from the threat. But no place on that planet was safe. Not anymore. There was no doubt that he could do exactly what he wanted. And he wanted to destroy the world below.

It will be okay. They were the words that she needed to hear come out of Mario's mouth. The words he'd always utter before she fell into the hands of the King before her, only to be returned safely home after his defeat. But there was no form of reassurance, now, as the male was just as shocked and speechless as she. The enormous Koopa let out a terrifying victory wail and, letting what she imagined was his new found energy focus onto his left hand, he balled it into a fist and let it collide with the ground below. Both humans were blown away by the force, and the city around them began to tremble. The princess looked around frantically for their last and only hope, only to find him out of sight. Wherever he was, he was not within the reaches of her track of sight.

Without warning, a group of terrified Toads beckoned her to follow them and whisked her away, out of the city to the fields beyond. She'd spent the afternoon here, she recalled, sitting lazily on that ugly picnic blanket. And now, the lives of the people in the city she'd looked at from afar were all at stake. But the mushroom-like creatures were not carrying her away from the destruction for the view. Through the chaos, a small capsule came into sight. It could fit her, and perhaps a few other Toads within the gray, rocket-like machine. But there was no way that the entire population of the city could fit in here. And, as another terrible shock wave shook the earth below, she doubted it would even fit the few survivors.

From down the hill, she spotted her rescuer and former lover running after her. Her gloved hand extended for his as the group of Toads shoved her into the uncomfortable metal casing, following suit and making way for the others to get inside. Just as the overall-ed man reached, the engines had already started up and the machine was taking off. From the one window in the crowded capsule, she could see the disorder from the destroyed city beyond. And, as she watched, face pressed against the thick glass, the saw the ground vibrate once more. And again. And then, the earth surrounding the red and blue dressed male shattered like glass and sucked him into a wave of utter darkness. And, as the only remains of the Mushroom Kingdom took to the skies, one word formed in her head and escaped her mouth without her even trying to.

"Mario!"

* * *

><p><em>The situation with my mother is hard to describe. Do I want to know who she was? If she was the lover of the monster who calls himself a man, then I'm afraid of who she might be or what she might be like. But do I really want to have nothing to hold on to? To ponder if she ever truly existed, like the siblings I might have had? Might still have? I can't imagine her face. I can't imagine the feel of her skin, the scents that wafted off from her... Nothing. Nothing but a song. The only song that would put me to sleep on nights where I was especially defiant. It wasn't the usual lullaby... More of a song you'd hear on the radio that never leaves your mind. What made her love that one song so much, I wonder? What made me love it...? I can, after all, only remember one simple line, sang by a voice as sweet as honey.<em>

Rationing the small amount of food and drink that they had stashed on board was a difficult task. Months in space with hardly any place to move was more uncomfortable and painful then it would sound, and the princess could not believe that she had actually survived that long. There was still food and water left... But would it be enough, she wondered, to last them long enough? The Toads feared that Bowser would discover any planet they landed on if it'd been to close and insisted they rocket further away from the remains of their home planet. But were any of these planets that she watched float by have livable conditions...? There was a fear that she'd never leave the confines of the stone gray capsule, and would die in a crowded pod in the middle of outer space.

Images of the shattered city - her shattered city - ran through her mind and brought unwanted pain boiling up to the surface once again. She could still see Luigi's limp body crushed mercilessly in the hands of Bowser, and Mario as he fell with the ground below him. Everyone else had died, surely... She had been helpless to save them all... What kind of ruler sat there, to shocked to move, while the sake of her entire kingdom hung by a thread...? She wanted to cry, but she knew there were none to be produced.

What had she done...?

Suddenly, a panicked cry escaped the mouth of one of the remaining Toads in the back. They pointed out the window, over her shoulder, and into the empty space beyond. They shrieked out something that she couldn't quite understand, but the terror that rose around her let her know that the others had. She let out a gasp as she watched the others scramble to the control panel in a desperate attempt to steer the small pod away from something outside. Something not far, she guessed by the way they hastily tried to get a hold of direction. And, when she became aware of the giant sphere that seemed to be hurdling towards them, she joined in the panic. They were going to crash.

She demanded the crew calm down and get a hold of themselves, though the words were partly directed towards herself. She couldn't lose control of herself if she wanted to keep the others in line. Wanted to keep them all alive. But no matter what she said, her pleas were wasted. Even if they had listened to her, though, and calmed down, what chance did they have of dodging? They were to close to steer clear of the oncoming planet. The best they could do was hope for the best that could come from a crash landing.

The woman's dirtied gloves lifted up to shield her track of sight. She couldn't watch. Maybe if she didn't watch, the horrors wouldn't be as painful as they would soon be. This gave her a false sense of protection, in all actuality. Being unaware of the planet surface that neared with every second meant that she wouldn't know what they first hit. Or, at least, that's what she thought. Because when the small shuttle entered this new world's atmosphere, the vibrations that shook it where enough to toss she and the Toads around like kernels of popcorn. A sharp pain spread up her skinny arm as she was forced into the side of the shuttle and, as her head hit against the hard metal coating, she felt herself slipping into a world of black.

When the world came into focus once again, the first thing that registered to her was the stiffness in her muscles. How long had she been out of it? Sitting there in a heap of scrap metal and dried blood. She stared at her hand, where an intense pain was emitting from. Dried blood stained it's perfect white material, and more blood was gushing out of a gruesome wound across her palm. There were injuries scattered across the rest of her figure, she noticed, as she slowly stumbled into a sitting position. The princess's head throbbed and she held a hand to where she'd hit against the interior of the tiny space ship.

Was that... a voice? Yes. A male voice, echoing in her ears.

She became aware of the human shaped shadow that fell on the ground in front of her. She could hardly process what he - or whatever it was - was saying. She slowly lifted her head, but even that sent new waves of pain digging into her skull. Yes, this was another human. About her height, as well. Her age? Maybe. Perhaps a little younger? Or maybe older? She couldn't quite tell. In fact, the only thing that she could fully take in was the odd baseball like cap that covered black, spiky hair. The voice asked her something again, but this time she understood what he was asking. Wondering if she was okay. She managed to croak out a 'yes', though it probably didn't sound the least bit assuring. A hand extended towards her battered face and, for a second, she imagined him attacking. But that was unlikely. Coming to her senses, she took his hand in her own bloodied one and he carefully lifted her to her feet.

The man chuckled, whipping the new blood from his own hand with a corny joke she hardly registered. He muttered something to her with a warm smile, reaching out his hand once more to the pink dressed woman. She looked up at him - oh, he had brown eyes, did he? - and realized what he was saying. Shaking hands with this newcomer, who claimed to be named something along the lines of Ash, she introduced herself. The world was becoming clearer to her, and she finally began taking in the events partaking around her. She realized that her fingers were still linked with his and, as she removed unlaced them and looked up at him, embarrassed, a spark of emotion she had not felt in the longest time sparked up once more. Swallowing, she muttered the name of the only other who'd ever made her feel that way.

"Just like... Mario..."

* * *

><p><em>So I have to ask you this one more time...<em>

The noise of footsteps bounced of the walls of the stone castle walls. Stubby legs attached to a short creature, it's head topped with a red spotted mushroom cap raced down the maze of hallways in pursuit of that room. Larger servants, same in appearance only taller, thrust past him, knocking he and the medium size box his small arms cradled to the stone flooring. It was obvious he'd get there no time soon. But determination sparked his childish face and he picked himself off the ground and continued to make his way towards his destination.

Shoving past servants, tripping on his own two feet, and constantly getting lost due to poor judgment, it was no easy task arriving at the designated spot. He'd been fumbling around, lost, for at least fifteen minutes, trying to find his way. With the interference of the other servants, he was aware that reaching the Queen would prove difficult. However, it wasn't until he proceeded to make his way toward her, that he truly realized just how troublesome the task would be. As carefully as possible, he attempted to reach his destination once again, clumsily weaving around the other servants legs as they passed by. He paused for a moment, surveying the area once more. Eyes darting around the room,he searched for the path that would lead him to the designated area. It was at this moment that he spotted it, and with a burst of speed he darted forward, escaping from the servants clutches.

There. Yes, that was definitely where he was to go.

Slithering like a snake and pressing himself against the cold, hard walls as not to get crushed, the fragile creature finally made it to the door. This door... It lead to the Queen's chambers. No guests were allowed in there today. In fact, the King had been reluctant to let anyone – not even the medical drew in. Icy blue eyes longed to see through that small window towards the top of the door. But, being as young as he was, there was no possible way for him to get up there to see without standing on two other Toads his height. Letting out a huff of annoyance and standing on his tip toes, he reached desperately for the door handle. Perhaps he could get just one, tiny and quick peek that way...? But being of a race of such a short height and, being of barely three years of age, the odds did _not_ look in the young boys favor. He begged, silently, that someone would come help him.

And someone did.

_...Am I a bad person...?_

Another, much large Toad exited the room, leaving the door wide open for a short period of time before swinging it closed behind him. The young, red and white creature was not even noticed. Or, if he'd been noticed, ignored. But if there was ever a time to slip into the confines of the darkened room, it would be then. This could very well have been his only chance to slip inside. So, slip inside he did. Squeezing inside just as the door closed shut, he managed to press himself against the wall. No one looked at him. He doubted anyone was even aware of his presence. Because all eyes were trained on something in the Queen's arms.

Curiosity got the better of the small creature, coming before his better judgment, and sucked him closer to the scene on at the far end of the dimly lit room. Even through the poor lighting, as the others much has heard his footsteps or spotted him out of the corners of their eyes, he could see the menacing stares of the humans and creatures alike that gathered around the kingdom's rulers. But he only reflected these cruel stares as he went, creeping closer towards the sight. A few hisses of protest escaped the lips of one of the onlookers, demanding he left the room with haste, just as he was close enough to see the dark haired baby cradled in the Queen's arms. She looked up and spotted him, startled at first, to see such an underling who had intruded without her knowledge. But the shocked expression faded to warmth and she beckoned the small Toad over.

The boy pointed out the color of the new born's eyes – a brilliant shade of blue, lighter then the seemingly unnatural color of the girl's hair – when he finally took his spot at the bedside, looking at what he believed to be an infant. This also received him a slightly shocked expression from the woman, who muttered something about how he was right. Looking up and into her husbands eyes, who gave her a quick nod as to say 'go right on ahead', she appeared to come to a decision.

"Then it's decided," she said, speaking clearly for those around her. "The child shall be named Crystal."

_I want to live... where the soul... meets... bo...dy..._

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, geez, this is a mouthful. 5,368 words. That's almost a total of <em>four chapters<em> in my other fanfictions... So congratulations to all of you who have managed to _not_ get bored out of your mind with this! This is my first Mario story (even though it's mostly Pokemon, this prologue was directed more towards that), and my first cross over, so please, reguard this kindly!**

**The idea for this story is actually kind of old. About a year and a half ago, my brothers and I were on a roll with Super Mario Galaxy 2. It was by far one of the most entertaining Wii games we'd played, and it was a wonder just to be able to get another from title from the Mario series in our hands. I'd been in one of my Pokemon moods as of late, probably getting gear up for a bit of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver when the idea for this plot hit me. First, my brothers and I acted it out, which... resulted in an entire toothpick dug underneath the flesh of the bottom of my foot. And the story kind of slipped my mind. I tried to write a couple of months later, but the pace of the story was to fast for me, and trying to make Mario and Luigi sound like themselves was to much to bare. Plus, I'd hardly any idea as to where I was going with it. So, once again, it was forgotten. But with the opening of my Pokemon RP and the chance of being able to RP one of my favorite characters from the manga, I started getting back into Pokemon Special. Soon, I had so much muse, I had nothing to do with it. And the fact that none of my story was being written down was tearing me apart. So... I wrote it! :D**

**I don't own Pokemon, nor Mario. Or the song, Soul Meets Body. You know the drill. Oh, and whoever can guess who was talking in the italisized bits gets a cookie!**

**~ Deltra307**


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